comments from a conservative Christian perspective,
sometimes on Oregon local and state issues

with thanks to A.E. Housman

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Will President Obama Urge Democrats to Apologize for Their Role in Slavery and Jim Crow?

If Christians should be circumspect about criticizing current Muslim behavior of beheading and burning opponents because of the Crusades (almost 1000 years ago) and slavery and Jim Crow (50 to 150 years ago), Jeffrey Lord points out that current Democrats, including Obama, should be "taking responsibility" for Democrats and their historic role in protecting and promoting slavery, Jim Crow and the KKK.

Over in the media, Atlantic writer Ta-Nehisi Coates - a black man no less - comes to Obama’s defense on the slavery and Jim Crow issue. Typically, Coates cites Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens to make the case of the Christianity-slavery link. What does he leave out? Alexander Stephens was, but of course, a Democrat. Stephens, a longtime member of the House from Georgia, left the splintering Whig Party to join the Democrats precisely because of his views on race. After getting out of federal prison in the post-Civil War era (imprisoned for his role in the rebellion) Stephens went back to Congress as a Democrat and later was elected governor of Georgia. Thus yet again does Coates illustrate the absolute refusal of progressives to acknowledge the central role of Democrats in playing - past and present - the race card in American politics.

What President Obama’s Prayer Breakfast speech shows - yet again - is that Democrats have zero intention of taking responsibility for slavery, Jim Crow, the Klan, lynching and today’s version of all this as seen in the race and class warfare politics of Al Sharpton, Eric Holder - and, yes indeed, Barack Obama himself.

Will the leadership of the Republican Party have the guts to take on the President and his party over this appalling history and that history’s role to this very moment in American politics? Will they use the control of the House and Senate to pass a resolution calling for President Obama and the Democratic Party to apologize for its support of slavery and Jim Crow?

It also holds true with Democrat comments that denigrate the minority groups they are supposed to support. Harry Reid saying racist things about Obama is okay, as is Obama making fun of Special Olympics. If they do it, it isn't really bad because Reid and Obama are nice people. If a Republican or conservative does it, it shows their racism or ugly prejudices.